Manual:Professional Development:Types of Communication

Communication
Communication is defined as “the transfer of ideas and information in a mutually comprehensible format be-tween two or more persons or groups”. As with many organizations today there are more sources of information and lines of communication than ever before; e-mail, instant messenger, the web are just a few. Due to the ubiquitous nature of these advancements, it is now easier than ever to share information between individuals, leading to once unimagined opportunities for collaboration and achievement of common goals. How-ever with these new opportunities and ease of communication also come some new challenges. Even though communication has become almost instantaneous and able to push large amounts of data around, the chances of creating misunderstanding have increased as well as the potential for creating embarrassing situations.

In order to alleviate the possibility of misunderstanding or the creation of embarrassing situations, you must have clear and effective communication skills. So not only do you have to look and act like a professional, but you must also communicate like one too.

Types of Communication
Any communication in which the other person(s) understands the idea or information you are trying to impart, without confusion, error, or misinterpretation can be considered effective. If for some reason they do not un-derstand what you mean, they only understand a part of what you communicated, or they just have the whole thing wrong, then your communication was ineffective. Communicating effectively is obviously the best choice. But to communicate effectively you need to choose the right form of communication for your message.

Most forms of communication can be separated into two broad categories, verbal and non-verbal. The four most common forms of communications are listed below along with a brief description of each. Each format of course has its’ own advantages and disadvantages. This is an important point to consider when selecting the method, you will use to communicate your ideas with someone.